Diagon Alley was bustling with usual day to day business when Lily and the other seventh year students arrived via floo or apparation. The girls hurried off in one direction while the boys almost immediately headed for Quality Quidditch Supplies. It was after five or so minutes that James finally forced everyone away towards Madam Malkin's for robes. A few Slytherins, who had stayed clear of the other seventh years, went for Twilfitt and Tattings.

Sirius was muttering about them to James. "Honestly, having money doesn't mean you have to use it or show it off. I mean, what's the difference between the two places anyway? Malkin does robes quite nicely, and she's not bad to look at either. Now, if you ask me, -"
"No one has, Padfoot," Remus interjected, amused at Sirius' rant.
" – I would say that the woman at Twilfitt is a right old bit-"
"PADFOOT!" James, Remus and Peter yelled. "Not in public!" James hissed. Sirius frowned.
"Alright, but you know it's true."

Further down the cobbled path, the Head Girl was trailing her best friends, feeling dispirited. She wasn't in the mood to shop and doubted she'd find anything she liked. Her mind kept drifting to that one dress James pointed out in Hogsmeade…

"Got anything in mind, Lils?" Marlene asked suddenly. Lily jolted back to the present.
"Um, not really," she lied quickly. Marlene's eyebrow raised doubtfully. Lily sighed. "Well, yes, but it's a wedding dress and entirely inappropriate for the ball."
"We can always make alterations to it," Hestia reminded Lily, who shrugged pathetically. That sounded like a lot of work, and something would probably go wrong. Lily wasn't that adept at clothing spells.

Hestia and Marlene strolled happily down the streets, chatting away and waving at those they knew from school. Every now and then, the girls darted into a store to have a browse. Hestia found a dress minutes after entering their third store. It was a floor length royal blue dress, with a halter neck and a deep v-neck. With an empire waistline, the skirt flowed in an A-line cut before finishing with a slight train.

In love with her purchase and reenergised by her success, Hestia led the way down the streets once more.

Primarose's Products was a small shop, just about to close down from lack of business. This worked to both Marlene and Lily's advantage, however, because nearly all of the dresses hidden in the corner were on sale. While Hestia had to pay a hefty amount for her gown, Lily and Marlene (should they find a dress here) would only pay a small price.

Splitting up to find their dresses, Lily browsed half-heartedly. Cursing her hair colour, she decided that a white dress wouldn't clash too horribly, and a white mask would actually be quite elegant. After looking through nearly half of the dresses, Lily gave up and walked over to Marlene, who was critiquing each dress with Hestia.

"I love the red, I really do, but I think it might be a bit bold."
"Maybe you should get a slit in the dress so you can dance properly?"

Seeing Lily, they asked if she had had any luck. Sullenly, Lily shook her head. "Being a red head really limits my choices," Lily grumbled. Hestia shook her head.
"That's not true. You can go for really bold colours; a deep blue, a dark purple, brown even! Wearing green would bring out your eyes, as well," Hestia encouraged. Marlene was nodding along enthusiastically.
Lily smiled at her friend's kindness. "I think I'll stick with white," she said. "Elegant and simple."

Marlene pointed to her left. "There's some white dresses over there you might like." With a nod of thanks, Lily walked over to the racks, desperate to find the perfect dress.
Distantly, she head cries of delight as Marlene found her dress; seconds later, she appeared around the corner holding a champagne coloured gown. Marlene held it against her body adoringly.
"Sparkly sleeves, Lily! What more could a girl want?" Marlene squealed. Lily laughed.
"That's gorgeous, Marlene. Why don't you go try it on? I'll be there in a minute, I think I've found…" Lily pulled a dress out at random. "I'll try this."

Marlene led the way to the changing rooms, Lily looking at her choice of dress. It looked a bit too frilly in the skirt, and she wasn't sure if she wanted the strapless style…

Within seconds of trying it on, Lily was in love with the dress.

The sweetheart neckline emphasised Lily's modest curves. The lace overlays on the skirt, though originally obvious and gaudy, now looked flattened, textured and elegant. The bodice hugged her figure and was patterned, so when Lily ran her hands down her sides, it felt rough and bumpy. Tiny diamantes were embedded in the pattern so it glimmered when she walked. Lily exited the changing room to find Marlene already out, admiring herself in the larger mirror. She squealed when she saw Lily in the reflection.

"Lily, you look marvellous!" she cried. Hestia appeared holding two pairs of shoes in each hand, nodding earnestly in agreement. "James is going to be a mess when he sees you. You look beautiful."

Lily took a moment to look over Marlene's dress, which had a dipped back that was edged with a thick line of intertwined sequins, that went around to the front of the dress and wrapped under her bust. "Where's the leg slit?" Lily teased. Marlene laughed and shook her head.
"The skirt is loose enough that I can do the splits with no problem," Marlene said, demonstrating her amazing athleticism for them. "I think I can waltz just fine."

Hestia had a pair of white heels that Lily took, a dark blue pair for herself, and a pink or a silver pair for Marlene. After wearing one of each shoe, she decided on the pink.

After paying for their gowns (the total price for both dresses added up to Hestia's alone)and shoes, the trio headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to Hogwarts. On their way, they passed the Marauder's, two of which seemed to be arguing.

"Padfoot, I'm not doing that!"
"Come on, Prongs! We can be matching!"
Frustrated, James ran a hand through his already unruly hair. "Sirius. Mate. You can do it if you like, but I'm going plain. You can be the life of the party on your own."

James strolled away, Sirius giving him a moment's head start before jogging after him, calling "We're Gryffindors, Prongs! Be proud of it!"

By Lily's side, Hestia began snickering. At the questioning looks of the two girls, she simply said "I can't wait to see Sirius' mask."